Milcho Manchevski : 2019
Vrba

Three Macedonian women have to contend with control over their bodies, tradition, loyalty, pregnancy and adoption. They have not set out to change the world or society, but their struggle to become mothers makes them unlikely heroines. The three bittersweet stories, one medieval, two contemporary, mirror and contrast one another, exploring themes of love, trust and motherhood. Set in the Middle Ages, a young couple is trying all possible superstitious rituals to conceive, combining them with Christian prayers. Finally, they enlist the help of a local wise woman. She agrees, but on one condition: that they give her the firstborn child, assuring them they will have many more. In the second story, in present-day Skopje, a taxi driver and a supermarket cashier try everything that today's medicine has to offer in order to have a child, but nothing works until after IVF, the girl suddenly becomes pregnant with twins. But the ultrasound shows that one of the babies will be mentally and physically handicapped. The husband is vehemently against abortion, while the wife tries to convince him that the other child's life will be ruined if she has them both. In the final story, the sister of the heroine from the previous story and her husband adopt a boy who is conspicuously quiet and withdrawn, perhaps even autistic. They shower him with love, understanding and gifts, but one day he suddenly goes missing. Milcho Manchevski's feature premiered in the Official Selection at Rome Film Festival 2019.

Egil Håskjold Larsen : 2017

Slowly we glide over the remains of life-jackets, torn travel bags and discarded shoes at an unnamed shoreline, establishing the tense political framework of this story. From here we pass on to observe groups of fellow travellers, still continuously moving forward. In the midst of the crowd a three-year-old girl, Lean, catches our attention. She is sitting on the shoulders of her father, with a Frozen backpack on her own back. The father is wearing a hoodie, an Adidas backpack and Nike shoes. This is a family like our own; these people are just like our neighbours. The only, but huge, difference is that they have lost their home and are on their way to a new one – one with their relatives who live in Sweden. There are no interviews or voice-overs; the filmmaker follows the family, which also includes Lean's mother and sister as well as her uncles, as they wait at the Macedonian border, then get into a car driven by a Serbian, walk through Hungarian fields, get on a train in Austria, and then board a bus in Germany. But these locations are not identified with narrative titles – the viewer can determine their geographical position only by means of road signs, railway station instructions or the language spoken in some of the scenes. Carefully we are getting into Lean's journey, and we get to know her outstanding character as she slowly makes her way through Europe with her family. She is strong, never cries and seems to grasp the seriousness of these circumstances. This film tells the story about childhood, family relations, hope and a world that is difficult to understand. Egil Håskjold Larsen's documentary, his first feature, premiered at Copenhagen International Documentary Festival 2017.

69 Minutes of 86 Days – trailer (vimeo)

Darijan Pejovski : 2015
Tri dena vo septemvri

Having killed a man in self-defence, Marika, a prostitute, wants to get out of the city. On a train she meets Jana, a shy woman in her late 30s who is travelling to her cottage in the mountains. Just what Marika needs. The house, empty for years, was where Jana grew up with her twin sister Kristina. Their father Josif, a prominent politician, built a hotel on the property, but after several incidents he committed suicide. The hotel, now in ruins, belongs to Jana. But there is someone else in the village who would like to change that: Genz, the village policeman. Genz, is suspicious about Jana's new friend and soon discovers that Marika is wanted for murder. Long wanting the hotel property for himself, he now blackmails Jana, threatening the two women with jail. Jana, having no choice, accepts. Perhaps too easily. Why has she returned to the village after all these years? It isn't long before Marika herself discovers a few secrets. Darijan Pejovski's feature debut premiered in competition at Montréal World Film Festival 2015.

Igor Ivanov Izi : 2013
Soba so pijano

A fable about the destinies of the guests who stay in the room with the piano in a hotel that is up for sale. This room, that hides them from the hypocrisy of the world outside, is the only place where they can find some kind of fulfilment. Although far from similar, as representatives of completely different social and cultural groups, all share emptiness in their life. As the years pass like revolving doors, motives become frustrations, ambition and fantasy lead to ruin. The fragments from the lives of these existentialist characters are sufficient for us to see all their lives, and they're intertwined around the central character, the Maid. She is young and silent. She makes the room in between the scenes with the other characters, and writes letters. Life begins, life ends, and lives are changed forever in the piano room. Only the Maid, oblivious to the thwarted dreams that check in and out, seems to move forward. Igor Ivanov Izi's second feature received its international premiere at Belgrade International Film Festival 2014.

Teona Strugar Mitevska : 2012

Beginning in France and following its characters deep into the forests of Macedonia, a tale of the tragedies of two families. In Paris, Helena's son dies tragically. Desperate to compensate for her loss, she tries to make Lucian, a deportee, a part of her life. As his supervisor, she succeeds in abducting the young man. Helena, her husband and Lucian then travel to Macedonia where the couple have decided to scatter their son's ashes and also discover the country. In Macedonia Lucian's lover, Ajsun, is struggling for her independence. She and Lucian have a young son, but Ajsun's father has now sold his daughter to another man in order to protect her from the shame of having an illegitimate child. Both Ajsun and Helena aspire to be free and must try to hold their own in a male-dominated world. Teona Strugar Mitevska's third feature tells a story about the various types of imprisonment we create for ourselves or are forced into by others. Her film premiered at Berlin International Film Festival 2012.

A film by Emir Kusturica

Inspired by a report published in 1985 on the kidnapping of one hundred children, all Roma, by Yugoslavs who sold them to Americans and Italians, Dom za vesanje is the story of an orphaned boy who leaves his home and falls prey to ruthless exploiters of children.

Perhan is an idealistic young man who is adept at telekinesis. He lives just outside of Skopje with his grandmother Hatidja, his uncle Merdjan and his sister Danira, who suffers from a bone disease. The film strongly emphasises the traditional values of Romani culture personified by the warm and caring grandmother whose healing powers are well known to the village. The main theme of the film is the punishment meted out by the spirits to Perhan when he moves away from these values. Perhan is in love with a village girl named Azra but his attempts to marry her are rejected by her stern mother because he lacks money, uncharacteristically placing material wealth over spiritual values.

Determined to be considered worthy of marrying Azra, Perhan is easy prey for Ahmed, a criminal originally from the village, who has become rich by selling children to Italians and forcing them to beg and steal for him. Ahmed comes to Perhan's grandmother for help for his dying son and, when she restores his son to health, demands that Ahmed pay for a much needed operation for Danira. After he vows to pay for an operation and brings Danira and Perhan to Ljubliana, Perhan soon discovers his true way of life when Ahmed stops to collect young people along the way. The message that what appears good may be hiding darker intent is symbolised by Danira's vision of the spirit of her dead mother who has come to warn her of impending evil.

At first unwilling to earn money dishonestly, Perhan soon discards his idealism for the pursuit of money and goes into business with Ahmed, recruiting children for sale and putting beggars to work collecting money. In the process, Perhan becomes as ruthless and unforgiving as Ahmed when, after Ahmed suffers a stroke, he takes over the business. As Perhan continues to reject the values of his culture, where survival rests upon the adherence to core Romani values, he moves further away from the balance and so his misfortunes multiply.

A hauntingly beautiful, tragic and cautionary tale, replete with Romani symbolism and powerful soundtrack music by Goran Bregovic, featuring Ederlezi, the Romani name for the Feast of St George.